[May 27, 2010 HONG KONG] Shanghai Tang, in collaboration with 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, presents an exciting live art performance as part of its sponsorship of ArtHK2010
This live art performance was in fact Li Wei’s creation of another new art photograph that will be part of his BEYOND GRAVITY series where Li Wei continues to awe with unexpected freshness exploring current day issues that effect him and society in general. “Beyond Gravity” deals with desire. The desire of wanting material goods, the desire for love’s lost innocence, the desire for power. Li Wei communicates his messages profoundly without language. This performance at Shanghai Tang titled "TAKE AWAY" touches on our desire of wanting and in that wanting there are no limits. Li Wei, that the concept of a “Take Away” is a deliberate contradiction of how a regular take-away refers to the taking home of leftovers. Here, his desire for everything that consumerism has to offer has prompted him to not limit his choices to what he can take, but to instead wrap up the entire house of Shanghai Tang and take everything with him.
This live art performance was in fact Li Wei’s creation of another new art photograph that will be part of his BEYOND GRAVITY series where Li Wei continues to awe with unexpected freshness exploring current day issues that effect him and society in general. “Beyond Gravity” deals with desire. The desire of wanting material goods, the desire for love’s lost innocence, the desire for power. Li Wei communicates his messages profoundly without language. This performance at Shanghai Tang titled "TAKE AWAY" touches on our desire of wanting and in that wanting there are no limits. Li Wei, that the concept of a “Take Away” is a deliberate contradiction of how a regular take-away refers to the taking home of leftovers. Here, his desire for everything that consumerism has to offer has prompted him to not limit his choices to what he can take, but to instead wrap up the entire house of Shanghai Tang and take everything with him.
The luxury boutique housed in a restored old fire house at the historic marine police headquarters site at Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong was completely wrapped up in vivid fuchsia fabric strips, and as the crowd gathers under him, Li Wei 'flew' into the sky, pulling onto the fuchsia fabric strips attempting to take away the entire flagship boutique with him. Shanghai Tang Executive Chairman, Raphael le Masne de Chermont says, “At Shanghai Tang we have always redefined trends, bringing together Chinese cultural elements and contemporary style to create a truly innovative lifestyle concept. As the global ambassador of contemporary Chinese chic, we proudly support creative talents from China; Li Wei is the perfect example of a leading visionary that has captured the essence of modern China, much like Shanghai Tang itself.” 10 Chancery Lane Gallery director, Katie de Tilly says, “The Shanghai Tang sponsorship of Li Wei’s performance plays an important role in the cultural landscape of Hong Kong. This kind of partnering between business and the arts helps to add depth to the city of Hong Kong as well as endless possibilities and ideas to grow from.”
Li Wei is very particular about his performances and every detail of their staging is well thought out. He does not want to be perceived as a circus act and the depth of the meaning of his work is at the heart of each performance. Eleanora Battiston has said of his work, “His photos always immortalize him at the very limits of the absurd and are stupendous for their originality that, at times, borders on madness.” And indeed some of the physical acts that Li Wei endures are pure lunacy. He laughs pointing to scars on his arms and neck and tells stories of passing out while upside down with his head in a roughly cut glass floor suspended by a rope. There is very little retouching done to his work, besides erasing a cable or a rope that suspends him, and it is startling to know that he does do every act. In his other creations for the ‘Beyond Gravity’ series, he is seen flying away with a BMW, a dozen collaborators pulling at his heels. He is the arrow with his female cupid shooting him out of a luxury car. He is also the reflection in his iconic mirror, where he sticks his head through a well cut hole, showing us both the past nostalgia of the Hou Hai lake buildings of Beijing and their modern day conversions into trendy bars and restaurants inside.
Li Wei’s solo exhibition “Beyond Gravity” is currently showing at 10 Chancery Lane Gallery on G/F, 10 Chancery Lane, SoHo, Central (off Old Bailey Street). Exhibition runs until 12 June.
About Shanghai Tang
Since its inception in 1994, Shanghai Tang has been the pioneering luxury lifestyle brand from China. With its mission as the global ambassador of contemporary Chinese Chic, Shanghai Tang interprets Chinese culture and craftsmanship with a vibrant sophistication. Offering ready-to-wear for women, men and children, as well as accessories and homeware, Shanghai Tang supports an international network of 40 boutiques in the world’s most prestigious shopping districts.
About 10 Chancery Lane Gallery
Founded in 2001, 10 Chancery Lane Gallery is a driving force in contemporary culture in Hong Kong and is one of Asia’s leading contemporary art galleries. Working from a broad range of artists of culturally diverse backgrounds the gallery is particularly interested in emerging movements in Asian art. Asia has seen a blossoming of its art over the last decade and 10 Chancery Lane Gallery is committed to play a major role in documenting the development of art within the Asia-Pacific region by holding survey exhibitions by country or theme of both emerging and mid-career artists and publishing books that bring together the individual historical context with the art’s development within Asia.
About Li Wei
LI WEI (Hubei, 1970) lives and works in Beijing. Since 2000 he has regularly shown his work in China, the U.S. and Europe in private galleries, museums and institutional centers. Exhibitions include Open Art Platform at the Performance Art Festival, 2000, Constructed Reality - Beijing/Hong Kong Conceptual Photography at the Hong Kong Arts Centre, Scar - Chinese Conceptual Photography at the Exhibition Hall of Capital Normal University, 2001, and Flying – Performance, Photography, Videos, Beijing Red Square, 2002. Abroad he has been included in shows such as Mois de la Photo. Histories de Chine in Auxerre, France, 2002, China Art Now. Out of the Red at the Flash Art Museum in Italy and the Prague Biennial, 2003, Between Past and Future. New Photography and Video from China in ICP, Asia Society, New York and Smart Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago, Officina Asia at Galleria d’Arte Moderna Cesena, Bologna Italy. Other recent exhibitions include Tiananmen, in Paris, and MMAC Japan, Artificial Merriment Melbourne Australia, 2004, and Between Past and Future at the Seattle Art Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2005, “Beijing 2008”, Olympic Museum, Lausanne, Swiss 2008, Olhares Interiores – Inward Gazes”, Documentaries of Performances Art, Museum of Macao, Macau 2008 and the China: the Contemporary rebirth”, Palazzo Reale Museum, Milan, Italy 2009. www.liweiart.com
LI WEI (Hubei, 1970) lives and works in Beijing. Since 2000 he has regularly shown his work in China, the U.S. and Europe in private galleries, museums and institutional centers. Exhibitions include Open Art Platform at the Performance Art Festival, 2000, Constructed Reality - Beijing/Hong Kong Conceptual Photography at the Hong Kong Arts Centre, Scar - Chinese Conceptual Photography at the Exhibition Hall of Capital Normal University, 2001, and Flying – Performance, Photography, Videos, Beijing Red Square, 2002. Abroad he has been included in shows such as Mois de la Photo. Histories de Chine in Auxerre, France, 2002, China Art Now. Out of the Red at the Flash Art Museum in Italy and the Prague Biennial, 2003, Between Past and Future. New Photography and Video from China in ICP, Asia Society, New York and Smart Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago, Officina Asia at Galleria d’Arte Moderna Cesena, Bologna Italy. Other recent exhibitions include Tiananmen, in Paris, and MMAC Japan, Artificial Merriment Melbourne Australia, 2004, and Between Past and Future at the Seattle Art Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2005, “Beijing 2008”, Olympic Museum, Lausanne, Swiss 2008, Olhares Interiores – Inward Gazes”, Documentaries of Performances Art, Museum of Macao, Macau 2008 and the China: the Contemporary rebirth”, Palazzo Reale Museum, Milan, Italy 2009. www.liweiart.com
